Oak House

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The registered manager and staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. We observed staff treating people with affection and kindness. Interactions between people and staff were relaxed and where appropriate included physical contact in accordance with what was agreed in support plans. Relatives consistently told us staff were kind. One relative told us, “In the years [loved one] has been at Oak House all the staff have supported and cared for them in everything. We could not be happier they have this as their home.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Everyone at the home was treated as an individual and able to follow their own routines and interests in accordance with their preferences and abilities. For example, one person was supported to follow their interest in crafts, others were supported to take part in social activities at the home and in their community. A professional who had regular contact with the service told us how people were treated as individuals, “It’s the way they talk to people; each person has a different level of ability and understanding and the staff always take that into consideration.”

Staff were able to tell us about people’s individual routines and how they accommodated them demonstrating a clear understanding of them as an individual.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to take part in activities which promoted their wellbeing and independence. One person told us, “Staff help me to be independent.” A staff member told us how they supported people, “When we are preparing meals, we get people involved and do things together. When we are baking people do the mixing and we go through the recipe together.” Throughout our inspection visits we saw staff included people in small tasks around the home to make sure they were fully involved in everything which was going on.

People were able to spend time with others that were important to them, and staff supported people to make and maintain relationships. This included supporting people to visit family.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff knew people well and recognised potential signs of concern or distress, they acted promptly using assessed communication techniques. During our inspection visits we saw staff were very attentive to people and met their needs promptly. This resulted in a happy and relaxed atmosphere within the home.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff were well supported and felt highly appreciated by the provider and management team. Staff consistently told us how the provider and registered manager supported their wellbeing and personal development. Comments included, “We communicate with each other really well, this whole team are the best.” And “It's the best here, I plan to be here forever if I wanted progression, they would support me.”